South America
Welcome Kit
Argentina
Puerto Iguazú
Located in the Three Borders, where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina meet. Live nature in the house of one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Highlights
This beautiful scenery made up of exuberant vegetation, surrounds great rivers, a red-colored land and the untouched jungle covered by prominent trees and full of extraordinary flora and fauna.
The great Iguazu Falls – Great Waters, in Guarani Language- are a unique and imposing wonder that exceed the senses and lie beyond our understanding and conforms one of the highlights in the country.
General Facts
Situated at 162 meters above sea level, in the northeast of Argentina, Puerto Iguazú City is 300 km away from the Capital City of the Province – Posadas City – and is the city that borders on Brazil and Paraguay through the concourse of Paraná and Iguazú Rivers.
Tourism is the main economic activity and it is 18 km/ 11miles from one of the Seven Natural Wonders in the World, the Iguazú Falls has been declared Natural Heritage to the Humanity” by the UNESCO.
Other tourist attractions, besides the Iguazú Falls, are the Landmark of the Three Frontiers, the Port, the Forest Images Museum, the Mbororé Museum, the Güira Oga’s rehab center for birds and an assortment of activities for a pleasant visitors stay.
Map Location
Documentation
A valid Passport.
Most countries in America and Western Europe do not require a visa.
Insurance information.
Best Time to Go
In this case you must keep in mind two factors: rain and temperature.
In the Iguazu Falls you will have a tropical climate – humid and hot. However, there are some months in the year where it will be less hot and it will rain less. Visiting the Iguazu Falls in April, May, September, and October will be less hot, which will make walking the circuits much more enjoyable.
In addition, on those dates are the days with less rain, so there is less chance of getting wet.
Now, if you want to see the falls with the highest rainfall, the best date is November and December (and the second half of October), but also keep in mind that there are more local tourists and a little more rain on those months.
Also, if you can visit this destination between Monday to Friday, even better! Since there will be even fewer people.
Clothing
In the Iguazu Falls is almost always hot. We recommend you to bring a swimsuit (if you do the Great Adventure navigation or the Macuco Safari you will get wet). Good shoes will be necessary. Boots or good walking shoes will be very useful, especially if planning activities to the outdoors. Sandals with good foot grip will surely be appreciated if the trip is to warmer regions.
To the list of essential elements, we can add: repellent, sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, a thin raincoat and an umbrella.
Healthcare
Packing
Argentinean flights allow, as their restrictions are limited to 33 pounds (15 kg) per person.
Currency
Peso Argentino.
Major credit cards are widely accepted.
Electricity
Puerto Iguazú: 220 V – 60 Hz.
Plugs Type C / I
Local Taxes
Foodie
The gastronomy of Iguazú is very varied, since there we find the influence of the foods of the three countries that make up the region. A unique mix that is only possible in this place.
At the Iguazu Falls you can, on the same day, have Brazilian breakfast , Paraguayan lunch and Argentinian dinner. After all, the mixture is the identity of Iguazú.
Missionary cuisine also arises from the fusion of the culture of the Guarani with the European settlers, taking advantage of the natural resources of the environment.. That is why some of the protagonists are corn, cassava, fruits of the forest and river fish such as surubí, pacú and dorado.
What makes the difference is the regional preparations, in which the sauces with tropical fruits abound, like mamón. Cassava is present in almost all meals and in the preparation of other meals such as chipá and farofa Yerba mate is an element that cannot be excluded since it is also very present in missionary cuisine, it is used as a garnish or in marinades, sauces, lacquers and also in desserts.
Another good option is to cross the border and dine in Foz do Iguaçu, which has a much more important gastronomic offer than Puerto Iguazú In Foz you can taste a wide variety of local dishes such as the classic feijoada and moqueca, or enjoy a good roast meat in the classic churrascarias.
Fish
Some of the most famous dishes in Puerto Iguazú are those made with local fish. Some of the most popular fish are dorado, surubí, pacú, paty and manguruyú. The most common way of preparing fish is grilled, baked or breaded.
Meat
One of the characteristic dishes of the region, but which for many is considered new and exotic, is the alligator, a meat that nowadays attracts the attention of gourmet cuisine and is beginning to be all the rage for having a very lean meat that reduces blood cholesterol and prevents atherosclerosis. The alligator, along with the ñandú and the llama, are considered non-traditional meats that are beginning to be commercialize both nationally and internationally. However, this peculiar meat was part of the classic diet of the ancient Guaraníes who took advantage of the wealth of the rivers and the jungle of Misiones. That is why in some of the restaurants in Puerto
Iguazú it appears on the menus as a traditional dish, what stands out from the new reintegration is the way of preparing it that gives it a variety of flavors.
Chipá
The chipás or chipacitos are cassava flour and cheese rolls that have their origin in Paraguayan gastronomy and the littoral zone of Argentina. In Brazil there is something similar called pão de queijo (cheese bread).The chipá is made with cassava starch, milk, cheese, eggs and butter or oil, with which small rolls of 3 cm in diameter are prepared.
The lightness of the cassava starch, ground very finely, gives it a special consistency and allows the melted cheese flavor to stand out. Sometimes it is seasoned with anise seeds.
Mate
Mate is an infusion prepared with yerba mate leaves (Ilex paraguariensis),native to the border area of Argentina and Paraguay.
Very close to Puerto Iguazú there are important yerba mate plantations. TThis infusion is very widespread throughout the region.
As with tea or coffee, mate has a stimulating effect due to the caffeine (also called mateine) it contains. In addition, an effect is added, which is compensated by the high consumption of water that occurs when you drink mate, thus resulting in a purifying infusion and having antioxidants that preserves the organism.
In Iguazú as well as in Paraguay there are occasions where the mate is prepared with very cold water or soft drinks, this mate is called tereré.
Caipirinha
The influence of Brazil in Puerto Iguazú.
You can also enjoy other not so typical variants of mate such as “caipimate”, a variety of the classic caipirinha, and yerba mate liqueur.
Desserts
The sweet of mamón is the most requested dessert in hotels or regional houses.
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Activities
The Iguazu Waterfalls
The must in Puerto Iguazu are, of course, the Iguazu Waterfalls. This beautiful scenery made up of exuberant vegetation, surrounds great rivers, a red-colored land and the untouched jungle covered by prominent trees and full of extraordinary flora and fauna.
The great Iguazu Falls – Great Waters, in Guarani Language- are a unique and imposing wonder that exceed the senses and lie beyond our understanding and conforms one of the highlights in the country.
The Iguazu Falls are shared by Argentina and Brazil, and you can visit both sides, which are quite different.
Brazilian Falls
The Brazilian Falls are located on the western side of the Paraná State in Brazil. They were declared Natural World Heritage in the year 1986 by the UNESCO.
This Brazilian park with 185,000 hectares (458,000 acres) borders the Argentinean National Park and they are divided by the Iguazu River. Both parks make this region one of the largest natural protected areas in South America.
The tour starts at the Visitor Center designed to be the gateway to the Park, operates as a visitor boarding and landing center since to access the route of the footbridges it is necessary to go with modern panoramic buses that make the transfer inside from the park. The extension of the footbridges is 1,200 meters from where you get a spectacular panoramic view of the 275 falls that make up the Iguazu Falls, of which the most important on the Brazilian side are four: Floriano, Deodoro, Benjamín Constant and Salto Unión or Devil’s Throat. Once the walk is over we will reached the panoramic elevator that allows us to get to the bus that will take us again to the
access gate.
Argentinian Falls
The Argentine Side Falls Package starts with a comfortable transfer service from Puerto Iguazu to the entrance of the Iguazu Falls National Park.
A professional guide will accompany you to take you through the Park’s walkways and appreciate the exceptional scenery offered by the Falls.
First, you will discover the charming rainforest of Iguazú through the footbridges of the lower tourist circuit. Then you will take a walk along the upper tourist circuit to see the magnificent panoramic views of the smaller falls and the delta that forms at the top of the Iguazú River.
Then the tour will reach the famous Garganta del Diablo, where you will get an indescribable mix of beauty, energy, sounds and images as you witness the power of nature at its best. At the end of the day, a vehicle will be waiting for you to return to the hotel.
Parque das Aves (BR)
The Bird Park is a private enterprise, situated in one of the most attractive parts of the world: near the Iguaçu Falls in the state of Paraná, Brazil.
Rare and colorful birds fly in the huge aviaries which have been built to blend in with the humid subtropical forest. Visitors are able to enter these aviaries and be amaze by the birds, alligators, anacondas, pythons, marmosets and butterflies.
The name “Itaipú” was taken from an island that existed near the construction site. In the Guarani language, Itaipú means “stone that makes a sound”.
The power plant was built between 1975 and 1991 and it became the largest operational hydroelectric power plant in the world.
It is run by two countries: Brazil and Paraguay, because it is located in the Paraná River on the border section between these two countries.
The Itaipú dam is 7,919 meters long (4.93 miles) with a maximum height of 196 meters (644 ft), equivalent to a 65-storey building.
When operating at its full capacity of 12,600 megawatts, the Itaipú hydroelectric power plant generates more electrical energy than any other dam in the world. Its location on the Paraná River allows Brazil and Paraguay to share its output.
Itaipú has served as technical inspiration for the Chinese to build the Three Gorges power plant and now is also a good example for them in terms of good social environmental practices.
It is an original and surprising option for nature lovers. With a height of 17 meters, this curious construction is made up of 28 pieces of wood weighing between 20 and 40 tons each, representing the most important native timber species in the area.
The purpose of this tourist attraction is:
Creating awareness of the natural resources; Encouraging the prevention and promotion of the environment; Spreading the local culture, beliefs and traditions.
“La Aripuca” was built using recovered trees inspired on a typical Guarani trap. It’s an example of how civilization itself can become a trap for the human being, regarding the lack of environmental care.
The original aboriginal hunting device is made of small branches built as a pyramid, connected with a simple but effective mechanism, in which when the animal gets into the trap and steps on a branch, the “Aripuca” closes automatically. The most singular feature of this trap is that it doesn’t hurt the animal so that the hunter can decide whether to let it free or keep it for food.
Even though the trees used are protected species or are in danger of extinction, none of them have been cut to create this building. They were all bought to local sawmills before they made furniture from them.